Colour Crazy Challenge - A GDT spot!

Hello everyone.

So, I am just popping in to show you my latest card.

This is one I made as a Guest Designer over at the Colour Crazy Challenge.

The sponsor for their challenge this week is:

Createful Heart Design

I have used a cute little image called Pip the Hedgehog and here is the card I made.

I have coloured the image with my FC Polychromo pencils and the background is done with Pan Pastels.

The backing paper is from a Lili of the Valley Pad with Raspberry Road Designs and is called Baskets & Bunnies.  I don't think you can get these pads anymore which is a real shame as they are superb quality and the designs are delightful.

I added a computer generated sentiment and some flowers from my stash.

Nice and simple but quite effective I think.

Hope you like it.

I hope you can find the time to join in with the challenge this week.

Challenges:

Crafty Creations - Anything Goes

Creative Moments - Anything Goes

Moo-Mania - Close to Nature

Digi Choosday - Anything goes

Crafting from the heart - Anything Goes

Cute n Crafty - Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenge - 4 legged friends

Over the Rainbow - Mid challenge reminder.

Hello lovely friends.

My oh my, how quickly is this year going already?

Doesn't seem five minutes since we were putting up the Christmas decs does it?

Hey ho, Spring is on the way so hopefully a few brighter days to come.

So, on to my post.

Time once again for the midway reminder for our current challenge over at Aurora Wings.

This time, as you are probably already aware the challenge is......

OVER THE RAINBOW

Now you can interpret this however you wish.  Me personally, I went with the theme of colours and when I think of rainbows I also think of Unicorns.

Don't ask my why, I have no idea but I think they go together perfectly.

So, that is why I have chosen to use Mitzi's adorable Unicorn Sprite for my card.

Here are all the buying options should you wish to purchase this little sweetie (and why wouldn't you? it is perfectly adorable isn't it?)

JPEG image at Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/585212630/unicorn-sprite-aurora-wings-digital?ga_search_query=unicorn%2Bsprite&ref=shop_items_search_1

PNG image at Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/585213352/png-unicorn-sprite-aurora-wings-digital?ga_search_query=unicorn%2Bsprite&ref=shop_items_search_2

JPEG image at Aurora Wings.com - https://www.aurorawings.com/store/p620/Unicorn-Sprite-Digital-Stamp-Aurora-Wings

PNG image at Aurora Wings.com - https://www.aurorawings.com/store/p621/Unicorn-Sprite-PNG-Digital-Stamp-Aurora-Wings

So, do you want me to hang around a bit while you go have a look?

Aah, ok, you will go later - good idea, you won't regret it. 

So here is my project.

I made this for my granddaughter's first birthday.  Obviously she was over the moon with it! Hahaha

Seriously, what little girl wouldn't love a unicorn for her birthday.

The image is coloured with my Faber Castell Polychromo pencils and the background is done with Pan Pastels - they are so useful for backgrounds but I really do need to do more with them. Lol.

I stamped her name with my Claritystamp Wordchain Alphabet which you can purchase here.

It really is the most useful set of stamps to have, Upper and Lower Case, they come in so so useful.

The background paper behind the mirri card is from a Claritystamp Designer Paper pack called Sweet Dreams - quite appropriate I thought. 

So folks, there you have it, my little Unicorn Sprite card.

I do hope you can find the time to join in with the current challenge and I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

See you soon

Hugs

Dawn

Challenges:

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - For a Special Female

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar - For a child

The Fairy and the Unicorn - Anything goes

It's all about the movement!

Hi everyone

Thanks for popping in.

Time for a new challenge over at 613 Avenue Create.

This month, as always it will be Anything Goes. But obviously we always have a twist you can choose to use too.

This month the optional twist is

KINETIC CARDS

So cards with some movement in them.

There are dozens of different options to choose from but if you are stuck for ideas then why not pop over to Pinterest where you will find oodles of inspiration.

So, after visiting Pinterest (lol), I decided to make a pop out card.

This is a W Shaped pop out card so that's what I am calling it!

I followed a Stampin Up demonstration but as I don't have much in the way of Stampin Up products I used my Lili of the Valley with Raspberry Road Designs Paper Pad called Beach Bliss.

I love the aqua and kraft colours in this pad.

I chose two co-ordinating papers, one for the front and back and one for the insides.

Inside the card I used the same papers for the small squares and backed that onto black card so that it all co-ordinated.  

The butterflies I have had in my stash for ages and again I layered aqua over black.  

The flowers are from my stash and again were just the perfect colour.  I think I purchased these from Wild Orchid Crafts ages ago.  I know that they have been bought out recently and are back in business but I have not bought from them so cannot vouch for this new company.

Again the front follows the same colour theme except for the sentiment and the main butterfly I went for white on black to make it stand out a bit more.

The really diddy butterflies are stamped in the same papers and black card with a Martha Stewart butterfly punch.

The circles and rectangles on the front were cut out using the Clarity Fresh Dies Picot Cut Nesting rectangles and nesting circles which you can find here.

I added a ribbon as a closure as this card does not close completely flat, again this is from my stash but would have been purchased from Crafty Ribbons, where you will find a veritable treasure of ribbons.

If you like this card and fancy having a go, here is the link for the You Tube video I followed.

So there you go.

I have made this card as a Card Swap for a Crafting Group I am in so I do hope my swap partner does not see it before it reaches her. Fingers crossed eh? Lol

Right I shall enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Creations Challenges - Anything Goes

Creative Moments Challenge - Anything Goes, optional twist add a circle

Simon Says Stamp, Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

A bit more time to craft - Anything Goes

A perfect time to craft - Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy New Year and Anything Goes.

Hello all,

Well, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a fabulous New Year.

Did anyone make any New Year's resolutions?  

I don't tend to do that anymore - partly because they only usually last until the middle of January!! Lol

Well, I wonder what 2019 will bring?

I always start the year full of hope that this year will be better than the last, don't you?

Only time will tell I guess.

I reckon, if we all do our little bit to make things better then maybe others will follow??  That's my plan anyway.

Right then, onto my Midway post for the current challenge which of course you all already know is the best sort of challenge to start the year with.......

ANYTHING GOES

Now you all know how much I love Mitzi's sprites right?

Well, I thought I should start the year off with one of the little darlings so I chose:

PRIMROSE SPRITE

She is available exclusively at Aurora Wings.com:

PNG AW Store

Now, I know I am getting on a bit and the weather has been a wee bit cold lately but I really didn't think that my brain was quite as addled as it obviously is.

This little birthday book was made thinking the image I was using was Buttercup Sprite but no, I used Primrose Sprite - what a twit.  

So because they are both so beautiful I am giving you the links to the gorgeous Buttercup Sprite too, just in case you would like to pop over and have a quick spending spree! Lol

PNG - AW Store 

PNG - Etsy Store

Both stores also have the JPEG image but you can do so much more with the PNG image. 😁😁😁

For this challenge, rather than make a card which I always seem to do I thought I would be a little bit more adventurous, so I made a cute little Birthday Book.

Here you go:

Basically it is one piece of A3 card cut into the relevant sized pieces and stuck together and then I added some beautiful Pion Designs paper which I have had for simply ages.

Sweet little Primrose Sprite is coloured with my Faber Castell Polychromo pencils and then I fussy cut her to add her to the front of the book.

The wording is done using the wonderful Clarity Word Chains and Word Chain Alphabet which you can find here.

Because the piece that ends up being the back of the book was a bit plain I used a Clarity Stencil, which you can find here, and some Distress ink in contrasting shades to add a bit of interest to the cover.
I wish I had taken a photo of the whole of the back of the book!! Duh.

The pages inside are printed out on to an A4 sheet of paper from a template I made in Excel, and then I put them through the printer again to add the buttercups.  Then I cut them out and stuck them in the correct places in the book.
Now obviously these would look better if they were primroses rather than buttercups given which sprite I actually used! Lol   However, I have gifted this little book to a friend so I am unable to change it now! Duh!

The closure is just some glittery gold ribbon which I had in my stash.

I really love these little books and I think I may be doing a few more of these. 

So I hope you like my project, please leave me a comment and let me know.

See you next challenge.

TTFN

xxxxx

Challenges:
2 Sisters on the blog - more than one fold
A bit more time to Craft - Anything Goes
A perfect time to craft - Anything Goes
Classic Design Team Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafts Galore Encore challenge - Anything Goes
Crafty Hazlenut's Patterned Paper Challenge - February 2019
Happy Craft Challenge - Anything Goes
Love to craft - Anything Goes
Not Just Cards - January Challenge
The Creative Crafters Challenge - Anything Goes

Exciting News - Part 2

Hi all,

Well, it certainly looks like 2019 is going to be a busy one.

Having recently told you about my fabulous news concerning my new DT post with the fabulous Lee Holland, I can now tell you all about another new DT post, this time with the wonderful ladies at 613 Avenue Create.

This fabulous blog is a monthly Just For Fun challenge blog.

The entries we get for these challenges is nothing short of phenomenal considering there are no prizes on offer.

The fact that there is no prizes is the only downside though as you will always be able to see some fabulous inspiration from my wonderful teammates.

We always choose a Top 3 that have joined in and an extra Top 3 for those that chose to add the Optional Twist.  They can then put a fabulous little badge on their blog for the world to see.

I am one of three new DT members here and I can tell you that we are joining a fantastic, friendly and talented bunch of ladies and I am so proud to be a part of their team.

So without further ado, let me tell you about this month's challenge.

Now, as I said they are Just For Fun and are always Anything Goes.

Now who doesn't like an Anything Goes challenge?

Having said that, there is always an optional twist given and this month the Optional Twist is to 

"Use a Critter" on your creation.

Well, what else could I use this month other than one of Lee Holland's fabulously cute animal images.

I chose to use Cute Monkey. If you want to have a look at Lee's other gorgeous creations then why not pop along to his Etsy store here.

He is coloured primarily with my Prismacolour Pencils and the background is done with Pan Pastels. The background paper is from a Lili of the Valley & NitWit Collection paper pad called Bonnets & Bowties.  Sadly no longer available but superb quality and I use them very sparsely I can tell you. Lol

I have to tell you that when I did the background, I sat and looked at the card and thought, Jeez that looks a mess! But then I got the colourless blender pan out and hey presto it was transformed.

The sentiment is my own, done on the computer, sized, printed and then "coloured" with Pan Pastels to match those used in the image.

So I do hope you like my inspiration and I look forward to seeing what you all submit this month.

Happy Creating!

Challenges:

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge - Anything goes

Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers - Anything goes

Jo's Scrap Shack - Anything Goes

Kitty Bee Designs - Aloha Friday Challenge - Birthday

Crafty Friends Challenge - Animals/Birds

Exciting News - Part 1

Hello crafty peeps.

Oooh I am sooo excited to be able to share this news with you all.

A while back the very talented Lee Holland put a call out for a new DT to showcase his gorgeous art work.

Well, I do love Lee's work so thought I might try and see if I could become part of this new DT.

Well, you will never guess???

Well, I suppose you will have by now, given the title of my blog post, lol.

I got accepted!!

Whoooooo Hoooooooo!!

I, along with 15, yes 15 other very talented and lovely people were chosen to represent Lee and his gorgeous art work.

So first off, you will want to know where to find his images won't you?

Well, if you follow this link it will take you straight to Lee's etsy store.

When you get there you will notice that Lee has a fabulous Love Bundle, 8 images for £8!!

(Of course Etsy have to add VAT so the checkout price will be £9.60)

This offer will run until the end of February.

Now that is what I call a bargain!

There really are some cute images in this bundle.

I know that February is traditionally all about Valentine's Day but to be honest you could use any of these images for other occasions too.

I mean, just look at them.  You could use them for weddings, anniversarys, birthdays, Easter, Baby/child birthday or even Just Because cards.  You really do have so many options to choose from.

So my card features The Love Birds, cute aren't they?

I decided to go with a Wedding Anniversary card because I think this image is perfect.

I googled images of love birds so that I could get the colours right and I am pretty pleased with how this turned out really.  I had thought about pink for one and blue for the other but maybe I will do that another day. 

The image was coloured with my Prismacolour pencils and the background is done with pan pastels through a Claritystamp heart stencil.

The background paper is from Lili of the Valley and is from a pad called Butterfly Kisses.  I don't think you can get them any more which is such a shame as the quality is superb.

Here is a piccy of the full card:

I'm really pleased with the way this has turned out and I hope you like it too.

If you want to quick link to Lee's Etsy store in the future, just pop back and click the image in my sidebar and that will take you straight to the store.

See you soon with some more fabulous images.

I shall enter this into a few challenges and keep my fingers crossed.

Aud Sentiments - Anything goes + a sentiment

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks - Anything Goes

Moving along with the times - Add a sentiment

Southern Girls Challenge - Love is in the air

Time out challenges - Photo inspiration (I went with hearts and love)

Mid challenge inspiration - Holiday Spirit

Hi everyone,

Gosh - heading full pelt towards Christmas now aren't we?

Now, other than the winner's post, this will be our last post before Christmas as we all get to put our pencils away and enjoy the festivities with our families.

(Well, I shall probably still be colouring - that's how I relax Lol)

I am so looking forward to Christmas this year.

Three little grandchildren to watch open their present and listen to shouts of "Mummy look!!".

Honestly they get SOOO excited and it is a joy to behold.

So, to the mid challenge inspiration I have for you this time.

As you know our challenge this time was 

HOLIDAY SPIRIT

Now obviously this can mean a whole manner of things to different people.

I have chosen to use the gorgeous

WINTER SPRITE

because she is just soooo cute and because I love Sprites and because I made it Myla's Christmas Card this year. 😍

Here are the all important links for purchasing this little beauty if you don't already have her.

At Aurora Wings Store:

Winter Sprite JPEG - https://www.aurorawings.com/store/p477/Winter-Sprite-Digital-Stamp-Aurora-Wings

Winter Sprite PNG - https://www.aurorawings.com/store/p479/Winter-Sprite-PNG-Digital-Stamp-Aurora-Wings

At Aurora Wings Etsy Store:

Winter Sprite JPEG - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/493481371/digital-stamp-winter-sprite-toddler-in-a?ga_search_query=Winter+Sprite&ref=shop_items_search_2

Winter Sprite PNG - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/493481827/png-digital-stamp-winter-sprite-toddler?ga_search_query=Winter+Sprite&ref=shop_items_search_1

I love blues at Christmas time rather than the traditional red white and green.

So here she is:

Coloured with my FC Polychromo Pencils for the main image and the background is done with my Prismacolours. I'm pretty pleased with those clouds.  Since I started my colouring classes at Kit and Clowder I have started to look at things differently.  Instead of just looking, I now look at where the cast shadows are and the different colours within things.  I mean sky is blue and clouds are white right????  Wrong - there are soooo many colours in both of those things - take a look at a cloud formation next time you are out - you'll see what I mean. 😉

The ribbon is some I have had in my stash for some time now.  Most of my ribbon came from the fabulous Crafty Ribbons - definitely well worth a visit if you are looking for ribbon or lace.

The flowers have again been around in my craft room for quite a while and the majority of my flowers came from Wild Orchid Crafts - the store has recently been sold and the new owners hope to have it up and running again by Mid September.

The backing papers are from Lili of the Valley but sadly they no longer make their paper pads.  Such a shame because the quality was superb. Never mind.

So there you have it - my inspiration for the last challenge of the year.

I know it is a pretty hectic time in most households worldwide but I do hope you can find the time to pop along and join in.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

🎄🎅🎄🎅

Challenges:

Addicted to stamps - Non traditional Christmas colours.

Dragonfly Journeys - Handmade Holiday Magic

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes